Wire pre-feeder



May 7, 1963 L. A. KINGSLEY 3,088,642

WIRE PRE-FEEDER INVENTOR. LEWIS A. KINGSLEY BY Kiwi? ATTORNEYS.

y 1963 L. A. KINGSLEY 3,088,642

WIRE PRE-FEEDER heat 2 I 88 [,s-5

6 IG. 2. 1 50 I;

NTOR. LEWIS A. KINGSLEY 42 40 BY 6, r6 IG.3, W a

ATTORNEYS y 1963 A. KINGSLEY 3,088,642

WIRE PRE-FEEDER Filed May 23, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 flw Mp 0 e L F H F l G. 6.

JNVENTOR. LEWIS A.K|NGSLEY ATTORNEYS.

m fl A E m w .1122;

May 7, 1963 L. A. KINGSLEY 3,083,642

WIRE PRE-FEEDER Filed May 23, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG.7.

'F l G. 8.

INVENTOR. LEWIS A. KINGSLEY ATTORNEYS.

May 7, 1963 1.. A. KINGSLEY 3,088,642

WIRE PRE-FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 23, 1960 INVENTOR. Fl G. 9. LEWIS A. KINGSLEY BY 4p ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent D 3,088,642 WIRE PRE-FEEDER Lewis A. Kingsley, Beverly Hills, Calif. Kingsley glaafizfhgne Co., 850 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood 38,

Filed May 23, 1960, Ser. No. 30,927 Claims. (Cl. 226-43) This invention relates to an improved wire feeding device particularly adapted to feeding insulated wire from a supply spool to a wire marking machine such as described in my Patent Number 2,517,493 which independently advances the wire periodically at various speeds and marks the wire at various spaced intervals throughout the length of the wire with normal start, stop and possible cut-01f operations for various sections, lengths or sizes of wire.

It is an object of this invention to periodically withdraw insulated wire from a heavy or varying weight supply spool automatically as needed to form a loose loop of wire with adequate slack to allow an independent advancement of the wire by the marking machine in intermittent short increments between each marking. This type of operation is desired to allow a small section of the wire length to come to a complete stop free of strain during the actual contact of the wire with the stamping head of the marking machine and thereby prevent damage or scufiing to the wire.

A further object is to stop withdrawal of wire automatically when a surplus in the slack supply loop has developed in excess of the immediate demand of the marking machine.

A further object of this invention is to supply wire in a manner that will require a minimum strain or pull on the independent wire adv-ancing mechanism of the wire marking machine, and thereby enable the wire marking machine to pull larger and heavier wires than otherwise possible.

It is a further object of this invention to avoid feeding of knotted or kinked or otherwise damaged wire through the marking machine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device which will shut off when a section of kinked or damaged wire attempts to pass through the same.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means whereby if either the feeder or the marking machine cease to operate, operation of the other will terminate.

Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from the following description:

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a unit embodying this invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the feeder assembly.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic vew of the air operating controls.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the air motor gear train.

FIGURE 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a view taken along line 6-6 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a view taken along line 7-7 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical control circuit.

Referring first to FIGURE 1 a marking machine 10 of the air-operated type such as described in my copending application Serial No. 661,801 filed May 27, 1957 now Patent No. 2,960,024 and entitled Air Operated 3,083,642 Patented May 7, 1963 Stamping Machine is illustrated mounted upon a table 12. A bracket 14 supporting a flexible wire tube 16 is mounted adjacent the machine 10. A supply of insulated wire 18 is fed from a spool 20 through a wire feeder generally designated 22 and through tube 16 to machine 10. This invention is primarily concerned with the construction and application of the feeder and the remainder of the description will be directed thereto.

The feeder is mounted upon a bottom cross brace 24 and a vertical support plate 26 secured thereto while spool 20 has its shaft 28 fit in a slot in bracket 30 to rotatably support the spool. Wire from the spool is reeved through bushing 32 between wheels 34 and 36 through a semiflexible tube 38 and hence through flexible wire tube 16 and into the marking machine.

A variable speed air motor 40 is utilized to drive wheel 36 to drive the wire. The motor drives shaft 42 which is keyed by key 44 to gear 46. Gear '46 meshes with idler gear 48 which in turn meshes with internal gear 50 and drives same. Wheel 36 is rotatably mounted upon bushing 52 and attached to internal gear 50 by screws 51 and hence driven by same.

Bushing 52 is rotatably mounted upon shaft 42 and held thereon by plug 54 and screw 56. This driving arrangement functions as a speed reduction and to increase the pulling power on the wire.

A pair of rubber 0 rings 58 are secured on the periphery o-f wheel 36 between flange 60 and a ring plate 62 secured to wheel 36 by screws 64. Upper wheel 34 has a fiat surface 66 which grips the wire '18 between rings 58 so that rotation of wheel 36 pulls the wire oif spool 20 and feeds same through tube 38.

Wheel 34 is mounted upon the extremity of arm 68 which is pivotally mounted upon stub shaft 70* on plate 26 and is biased into contact with wheel 36 by spring 72. The spring 72 seats in a suitable notch 74 in arm 68 and is mounted upon a shaft 76 which projects through arm 68 and screws through nut 78 on plate 26. In this manner the spring pressure can be varied. A handle 80 on arm 68 permits same to be manually pivoted to move Wheel 34 away from wheel 36 to permit the wire 18 to be positioned therebetween.

Bushing 32 is mounted on arm 82 by a set screw 83 which arm in turn is pivotally mounted by screw 84 on a bracket 86 in turn mounted on plate 26. This construction permits use of interchangeable bushings to accommodate the size of the outside diameter of the wire being marked. A pin 88 on the bracket projects into a slot 90 on the arm thereby limiting pivoting thereof and a spring 92 is seated at one extremity in arm 82 and the otherextremity in bracket 86 biasing the arm 82 to the leftmost position in FIGURE 2.

If a knot or the like in the wire attempts to pass through bushing 32 the arm 82 is pivoted to the right in FIG- URE 2. The arm carrying a switch contact 94 and bracket 86 carries a micro-switch 96. Contact 94 when it strikes the contact 98 on switch 96 opens the switch which in turn through suitable electrical circuitry closes the solenoid operated shutoff valve 100, terminating flow of air to the air motor 40 shutting off same until the knot or the kink is straightened out. Opening of switch 96 also opens the circuit to solenoid 101 disengaging clutch 101A terminating operation of the marking machine until switch 96 is again closed.

The operation of air motor 40 and wire drive wheel 36 is further controlled by air valve 103 which in turn is controlled by pivoting of Wire guide tube 38. Wire guide tube 38 is semiflexible and is mounted upon a block 102 which is pivotably mounted to rotate regulating stem 104 of air valve 103 mounted upon plate 106.

A continued demand of the marking machine depletes 3 the normal inoperative slack and looseness from the supply loop and draws the loop of wire to a taut condition. A continued upward pull of the tautened wire raises wire guide tube 38 from the lowered inoperative position illustrated in FIGURE 2. Guide tube 38 and air regulating stem 104 rotate through an arc of approximately 135 degrees. The greater the rotation, the greater the flow of air through air valve 103 with increasing speed of air motor '40 and drive wheel 36 for faster withdrawal of wire from supply spool.

A compression coil spring 114 pulls against the upward movement of block 102 to keep air valve 103 closed upon minor jerking or whipping of the wire supply loop by the irregular demand of the marking machine. The spring tension and flexibility of tube 38 prevents premature opening of the air valve 103. When the slack and excess Wire in the supply loop is depleted, the direct pull of the taut wire offsets the spring tension and raises guide tube and block 102 to turn air valve regulating stem 104. This allows flow of air for operation of air motor 40 to drive wheel 36 for withdrawal of wire from spool 20 to supply the demand at the speed required and only as needed by the marking machine.

A safety shut-off switch 116 is positioned on mounting plate 106 near the end of the arc of guide tube 38. Guide tube support block 102 also carries switch actuating arm 108 and switch actuating button 108A. Switch 116 is normally inoperative upon proper functioning of wire prefeeder. Any malfunctioning of supply spool, drive wheel, air motor, etc., will place an undue strain on wire 18, .and when pull on guide tube 38 is sufficient, the passage of switch actuating button 108A across micro-switch 116 provides an impulse closing of electric 'contact to energize disconnect relay 105 to stop operation of marking machine and prefeeder in an identical manner to operation of micro-switch 96.

A manual reset push button switch 107 is provided to restart operation after malfunction has been remedied by energizing latching relay 109 to close disconnect relay 105.

For convenience the switches for starting and stopping the marking machine may be mounted upon housing 106. While what hereinbefore has been described as the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is readily apparent that alterations and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the scope of this invention and such alterations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for feeding insulated wire to a wire marking machine comprising: a pair of wheels one of which has a flat periphery, a pair of rings positioned upon the "periphery of the remaining wheel, means biasing the peripheries of said wheels into contact with one another, power means for driving one of said wheels, a bushing in advance of said wheels through which said wire is reeved, and switch means for shutting off said power means, said bushing having switch contacting means actuated by movement of said bushing upon contact with said bushing of a kink in said wire.

2. A device for feeding insulated wire to a wire marking machine comprising: a pair of wheels one of which has a flat periphery, a pair of rings positioned upon the periphery of the remaining wheel, means biasing the peripheries of said wheels into contact \with one another, power means for driving one of said wheels, a tube between said wheels and the marking machine and mounted for pivotal movement upon wire being drawn therethrough by said marking machine, and switch means for deactuating said power means, said switch means responding to pivoting of said tube.

3. A device for feeding insulated wire to a wire marking machine comprising: a pair of wheels one of which has a fiat periphery, a pair of rings positioned upon the periphery of the remaining wheel, means biasing the peripheries of said wheels into contact with one another, power means for driving one of said wheels, a bushing in advance of said wheels through which said wire is reeved, a tube between said wheels and the marking machine and mounted for pivotal movement upon wire being drawn therethrough by said marking machine, and switch means for deactuating said power means, said switch means responding to pivoting of said tube. 4. A device for feeding insulated wire to a wire marking machine comprising: a pair of wheels one of which has a flat periphery, a pair of rings positioned upon the periphery of the remaining wheel, means biasing the peripheries of said wheels into contact with one another, power means for driving one of said wheels, a bushing in advance of said wheels through which said wire is reeved, switch means for shutting oif said power means, said bushing having switch contacting means actuated by movement of said bushing upon contact with said bushing of a kink in said wire, a tube between said wheels and the marking machine and mounted for pivotal movement upon wire being drawn therethrough by said marking machine, and a second switch means for deactuating said power means, said switch means responding to pivoting of said tube.

5. A device for feeding insulated wire to a wire marking machine comprising: a pair of wheels, power means for driving one of said wheels, a bushing in advance of said wheels through which said wire is reeved, switch means for shutting off said power means, said bushing having switch contacting means actuated by movement of said bushing upon contact with said bushing of a kink in said wire, a tube between said Wheels and the marking machine and mounted for pivotal movement upon wire being 'drawn therethrough by said marking machine, and a second switch means for deactuating said power means, said switch means responding to pivoting of said tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 864,860 Randall Sept. 3, 1907 1,828,506 Morse Oct. 20, 1931 2,212,947 Myer et al Aug. 27, 1940 2,227,387 Borton Dec. 31, 1940 2,909,341 Kingsley Oct. 20, 1959 2,912,099 Brouse et a1 Nov. 10, 1959 2,950,520 Sonnino Aug. 30, 1960 

1. A DEVICE FOR FEEDING INSULATED WIRE TO WIRE MARKING MACHINE COMPRISING: A PAIR OF WHEELS ONE OF WHICH HAS A FLAT PERIPHERY, A PAIR OF RINGS POSITIONED UPON THE PERIPHERY OF THE REMAINING WHEEL, MEANS BIASING THE PERIPHERIES OF SAID WHEELS INTO CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER, POWER MEANS FOR DRIVING ONE OF SAID WHEELS, A BUSHING IN ADVANCE OF SAID WHEELS THROUGH WHICH SAID WIRE IS REEVED, AND SWITCH MEANS FOR SHUTTING OFF SAID POWER MEANS, SAID BUSHING HAVING SWITCH CONTACTING MEANS ACTUATED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID BUSHING UPON CONTACT WITH SAID BUSHING OF A KINK IN SAID WIRE. 